World Toilet Day is Monday, Nov. 19. “When nature calls” is this year's theme. The day serves as an important reminder to support scientists and engineers who design new sanitation solutions that are affordable and effective for billions of people who currently live without a decent working toilet.

The United Nations General Assembly officially dedicated World Toilet Day in 2013 to show that living without access to basic sanitation negatively affects people’s health, safety, and education.

Thanks to voter-approved tax funding propositions last November, Reid Park Zoo has collected about $7 million in sales taxes since February 2018 for renovation and expansion of the facility. About 60 percent of the money is going toward the Zoo’s new grand master plan, and 40 percent of the funding will be spent on modernization and operations. Enhancements have been prioritized to upgrade safety, guest experience, and animal care.

The Pima County Health Department's (PCHD) second annual Blackout Tobacco event will be held tomorrow, Nov. 15, to align with the Great American Smokeout (GASO) on that day. Across the nation, the GASO serves as a catalyst for tobacco users to quit tobacco for the day, for a month, or forever. Blackout Tobacco encourages tobacco users to not only quit, but to give the time or money normally spent on tobacco to make a positive impact in the community.

Santa and his elves would like to add some sparkle to a child’s holiday season through the Santa's Calling program, courtesy of Tucson Parks and Recreation. The special child(ren) in your life, between the ages of 4 and 10, will have an opportunity to speak with Santa and listen to his elves hard at work.

All calls will be attempted on Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 4 and 5. If the North Pole receives too many requests for two nights, Thursday, Dec. 6, will also be used.

Tucson Water’s new booklet, 2018 Status and Quality of the Aquifer, documents 20 years of groundwater recovery since a 1998 report reflected groundwater overdraft and ground subsidence. Gains such as using renewable water, conservation and efficiency programs, and increased aquifer storage have helped achieve water reliability.

The Tucson Parks and Recreation department presents the annual Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair in Reid Park. Come get a jump on your holiday shopping. This free event will draw in more than 140 vendors from all over the Southwest, ranging from artists, crafters, photographers, painters, potters, jewelers, and more. This Thanksgiving weekend fair has become a tradition for many holiday shoppers for more than 30 years.

The final striping planned for tonight on the approach ramps and new bridges on Houghton Road over the Union Pacific Railroad has been postponed due to a mechanical issue on the striping vehicle. An updated striping schedule has yet to be determined at this time.

Crews are continuing work to complete miscellaneous concrete work on the bridges, pedestrian fence work, as well as landscape planting and erosion control work. The project is scheduled to be complete in later this month.

There are always a lot of new development projects going on in Ward 2, which means that many of you have questions about how the process works. While the issues associated with particular developments are different, the process works much the same.

With final paving operations complete on the approach ramps for the new Houghton Road bridges over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, crews with Pulice Construction will begin final striping on the approach ramps and new bridges on Tuesday, November 13, 2018. The striping work will take place from 10 p.m. to about 3 a.m., Wednesday morning.

For the safety of the traveling public and work crews, flaggers will direct travel through the work zone. Motorists should expect delays in the area during this work.

The City of Tucson will observe the Veterans Day holiday on Monday, Nov. 12. Except for emergency services, all City offices will be closed. Residential and commercial trash and recycling will not be collected on Monday. All customers will have their collections delayed by one day. The Los Reales Landfill will be open.

The Tucson Veterans Day Parade takes place on Monday, Nov. 12, in Downtown Tucson. The parade begins at 11 a.m., and this year’s theme is “Celebration of Armistice Day.” More than 100 entrants are expected.

Participants will start assembling at 8 a.m. The parade begins downtown at West Alameda Street and Granada Avenue, heads east on Alameda Street, north on Stone Avenue, west on Franklin Street, north on Church Avenue, west on 6th Street, then south on Granada Avenue, returning to the staging point on Alameda Street.